Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

I wish the Minister would accept this amendment as it opens the door further. I take the point that a Department may not take further action in this area if a Secretary General, for example, says the quota of 3% has been reached. Senator Feeney called for a report into whether further action could be taken. Of course Departments could do more. In a Department with a staff of 300 or 400, a quota of 3% is very small. It could easily be increased and this should be done.

On Committee Stage we were saying Senator Terry is a lady although she did not want this term to be used and called herself a woman — a fine woman, a decent woman. We said she had not been forceful in making the case for her amendment. The amendment would require the Secretary General or Minister to make a report on the possibility of increasing the quota such that, on its being reached, he or she could identify that seven or ten more disabled people, for example, could be taken on. The report would trigger the taking on of these staff. I hope the Minister of State will accept the amendment.